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The writer tells the story of a man voyaging to see whales. The story emphasizes Moby Dick, an albino sperm whale, that one of the crew members wants revenge on for taking his leg. An interesting set of characters and very diverse, the story is also heavily influenced by Shakespeare and the Bible. What I thought of the novel, however, was that it was deep but there were unnecessary pages, completely describing how boats work. It may just be me from my modern age perspective but this is very difficult to read, and I often caught myself daydreaming.
- @Florence of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

Purposely prepare yourself, before reading Moby Dick for the first time.
Try to distance yourself from it's earning a classic status over it's history.
It has nothing to do with modern proclivities or sensibilities and therefore, can not be assessed within any contemporary context.
It is a remarkably-vivid window into the Human Nature of a bygone era.
For your Soul to grasp the magnitude of the tale, for your Heart to exalt in its passions,
allow your imagination all the capacity it requires, to fully immerse you in the story's time and place.
How much your expectations are exceeded, is proportional to how many you have in the first place.
Read this book, on it's own terms.
You'll better understand the meaning of Life..... on YOUR own terms.

The masterpiece of all literature everything is in there . A metaphysical work of art. ASTONISHING. I read it in the eight grade and still read it now. An excellent beach book or sitting in front of the fire in my cabin on the woods . 420

This book is an epic tale, a masterpiece, and a revered piece of literature as a timeless classic for a reason. Melville commands your attention instantly, and although for some this may be a difficult read that requires pages to be read multiple times, this is a book that you will never regret reading. It is remarkably poetic and humorous for a book about a whale, and the real beauty of the book is that it really isn’t about a whale at all – it is about the exploration of the human condition, in every aspect you could explore. You cannot go into this book reading it just to read it, as many do with classics; this book deserves respect in its eloquence and the ability that Melville has to draw so many parallels between what it means to be a human and whales. - @FalcoLombardi of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

The more so, I say, because truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself.

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."

Summary

Ishmael goes whaling with a friend but the Captain, Ahab, wants revenge on the whale Moby Dick for eating his leg. They kill lots of whales, meet many crazy people who are prophetic, meet other ships, go through tragedies, sail around, and end up all dying against Moby Dick except for Ishmael.